Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder admits that he has been copying some of Dirk Nowitzki's moves, particularly the one-legged fadeaway jumper that has become a trademark of the Mavericks star.
"Dirk's got a lot of moves I'm trying to steal," Durant told ESPN.
According to the sports website, Durant has been working with personal trainer Adam Harrington, who played briefly with Nowitzki and has studied the unorthodox coaching techniques of Nowitzki's mentor Holger Geschwindner.
Durant admitted: "It's a lot more than just trying to copy the one-legger."
The Oklahoma City superstar, widely predicted to unseat four-time winner LeBron James as the MVP of the league, has been working out with Harrington in improving his footwork and practicing shots with both hands.
Geschwindner had been doing the same drills for Nowitzki since the 7-footer joined the NBA more than 15 years ago, and now Harrington has been duplicating the same drills with Durant. According to ESPN, Harrington learned about the workouts that Geschwindner had been conducting with Nowitzki when the former Maverick played in the German Bundesliga sometime in 2007.
Durant has also called Nowitzki as his favorite player, alongside another Western Conference rival.
"It's probably a tie between him and Kobe," Durant told ESPN.
While Durant and Nowitzki have been teammates in several Western Conference All-Star teams, Durant said they're not close.
"I don't know him so well," Durant, "but I've always liked the way he goes about his business.
"And I've learned a lot from him by just studying the techniques."
Interestingly, Durant and Nowitzki could face each other in the play-offs should the Thunder firm up their hold on the second spot in the East and the Mavs would up as the seventh seed.
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